A review by idealpages
People Person by Candice Carty-Williams

challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Fans of Queenie know it’s been a long and eager wait for Carty-Williams next outing, and People Person so worth the wait. 

People Person is a very emotional book wrapped up in an entertaining tale of five siblings, who are essentially strangers, coming together in unexpected circumstances. The book explores feelings of self-worth and the bonds of family; from sibling dynamics to generational legacies and origins, all of which Carty-Williams writes with razor sharp observations of the world we live in, especially with respect to social media. 

The Pennington siblings were all likeable, interesting and shrewdly developed. They were messy, sarcastic, naive and occasionally annoying, but they were genuine. They perfectly encapsulated flawed and meaningful people doing their best to understand themselves and each other, which in turn, perfectly captured the growing pains of (later in life) sibling relationships. And as for the patriarch responsible for the brood… I really appreciated Carty-Williams summing it up as “it is what it is” when it comes to an absentee parent. 

People Person primarily unfolds through the middle sibling, Dimple. Dimple’s character captures the experience many people have of living their life through social media, navigating the waters of trying to achieve “influencer” status. Her performing persona and desperation were portrayed flawlessly; illuminating a typically overlooked consequence of social media and people’s subsequent obsession of reaching the standards involved in virtual success and appeal.

Emotive, a little dark in its tone with laugh out loud hilarious moments, People Person may be a little far fetched here and there, nevertheless it was extremely entertaining and packed a punch in its sleek commentary. I really enjoyed it.  
If you loved Queenie or the familial dynamics found in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising, then People Person is not to be missed. 

Thank you kindly to the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for this honest review.
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